Progress for our nation’s veterans
Published 4:34 am Saturday, November 8, 2008
By Staff
Even when our nation has been divided politically, we have consistently come together behind the brave men and women who serve in our nation's armed forces. They offer their lives to defend this country, and for that we are all grateful.
But a year and a half ago, an investigation by The Washington Post and hearings in Congress uncovered major shortfalls in our efforts to care for our troops who have been wounded in combat.
Although these wounded warriors received superb, state of the art inpatient care, we learned that there was an inadequate system to ensure they consistently receive high quality care when they were outpatients. Instead, injured services members faced an overlap of different systems and bureaucracies that left them and their families confused, overwhelmed and all too often without adequate care.
In response, the Senate Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs Committees held a rare joint hearing to address the problem. We then wrote the Wounded Warrior Act, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008. In January, the President signed it into law.
The Act requires the Defense Department to use the VA disability rating standards and to adopt the more favorable VA standards for determining if a medical condition is service connected. This should prevent our wounded warriors from being subjected to a complex maze of different and unfair ratings.
We also increased minimum severance pay for services members who are wounded in combat zones or combat related activities, and eliminated some counterproductive requirements that severance pay be deducted from VA disability compensation for combat injuries. We also authorized $50 million for improved diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of service members suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Additionally, we required the secretaries of Defense and Veterans' Affairs to develop comprehensive policies to ensure a seamless transition to VA care for wounded warriors, so that no service member gets stuck in the system or falls through the cracks.
Despite the significant step forward that the Wounded Warrior Act provided, there continue to be shortfalls in implementation. For instance the increased staffing at the VA that we identified as necessary has not yet been fully achieved.
Beyond the Wounded Warrior Act, this year Congress also enacted a 21st Century G.I. Bill, which provides financial support to post-9/11 veterans to pursue a college education.
As we commemorate all who served our nation in uniform on Veterans Day, we will remain focused on doing whatever it takes to improve care and support for the men and women who have bravely sacrificed in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world.
We must stay focused and resolute until we have a seamless, safe system that provides great care for our troops at every step along their journey from the battlefield back to civilian life.
Throughout the debates in our current wars, unlike the past, the citizens of our country have steadfastly supported our troops.
That supportive spirit will continue this Veterans Day and into the years ahead, and as we continue our efforts to care for our nation's wounded warriors.